mischaracterize
verb
mis·char·ac·ter·ize
ˌmis-ˈker-ik-tə-ˌrīz 
-ˈka-rik-
mischaracterized; mischaracterizing
: to characterize (someone or something) wrongly
mischaracterized his position on the issue
In many cases, the problems that the news media, activists, and politicians hype are real enough; however they are frequently greatly exaggerated and mischaracterized …—
Benjamin Radford
Benjamin RadfordExamples of mischaracterize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a series of all-caps posts, Boosie argued that the case against Diddy is mischaracterized.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 13 May 2025
Attorney Teny Geragos argued in court that the government is mischaracterizing the nature of these relationships, specifically pointing to one woman identified as Jane.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Originally Published: April 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM MDT
Correction (updated April 24, 2025): Because of a reporter's error, the original version of this story mischaracterized the level of Democratic support for House Bill 1312 in the state House.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
Cissy wrote a book about Whitney Following Whitney’s 2012 death, Cissy felt that her daughter was being mischaracterized by the media.
—Ilana Frost, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischaracterize
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 13 May 2025
Attorney Teny Geragos argued in court that the government is mischaracterizing the nature of these relationships, specifically pointing to one woman identified as Jane.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Originally Published: April 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM MDT
Correction (updated April 24, 2025): Because of a reporter's error, the original version of this story mischaracterized the level of Democratic support for House Bill 1312 in the state House.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2025
Cissy wrote a book about Whitney Following Whitney’s 2012 death, Cissy felt that her daughter was being mischaracterized by the media.
—Ilana Frost, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mischaracterize
Cite this Entry
“Mischaracterize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mischaracterize. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share